The First Dance
by Matchin' Laces
Summary: Two private schools...an AllBoys Redman High and an AllGirls Kreiger have not seen the opposite gender for a long time. This year, however, the schools decide to hold a dance, and bring the two schools together. Chapter 9 up!
1. Chapter 1

Notes: There is a CC for this story. I contacted some people already. If I did not e-mail you and you would like to be in this story, e-mail me at elijahlover01 (at) yahoo (dot) com. Hmm…it's annoying that it's the only way to put my e-mail in a chapter. Oh, and those that did e-mail me…I really appreciate it.

Anyway, I thought this was a cool idea for a story. Oh, and I have a newsie moment. Yesterday at work, I saw a guy who looked a lot like Dutchy. Very blond hair and glasses…yeah, I was excited. I think it's so cool when I find someone who looks like a newsie. Oh and not all the guys in the story have earned their nicknames yet. If that makes sense. Oh well….you'll see eventually.

Nicholas Johnson threw his backpack onto the nearest bunk as he entered the dorm room of Redman High School for Boys. The bag fell back to the floor with a loud thump but he ignored it as he collapsed on the nearest chair.

"Do you mind," the other boy, David Jacobs asked him, turning from his place at one of the desks in the room, "I'm trying to study here."

"You're always studying," Nicholas pointed out, brushing his hand through his brown curls.

"Then you wouldn't understand Nick," David said, blue eyes traveling back to the papers spread before him. Nick sighed in frustration at his roommate. Only Nick jumped in slight fright as a frantic pounding came from the door.

He opened it to none other than his best friend and one of three roommates, Zachary Krus, whose arms were loaded with a large box. Nick quickly helped carry it inside and set it on a table nearby. Zach straightened to his full height after getting rid of the heavy load.

"What's this," Nick asked him. Zachary just stared at him for a moment.

"What do you think," Zach questioned, "Obviously, it's another package from my mom, telling me just how much she misses me."

"Skitts, you need to relax," Nick told him, "Besides, you know your mom makes the best cookies."

"Did I hear cookies," another voice asked. The guy at the door had brown hair and wore glasses.

"Finally another sane person," David exclaimed as the door closed behind the fourth and final roommate.

"Davey, you study all day and only leave the room for meals and bathroom breaks," Nathan Hunts told him, "That's barely called sane."

"Thank you Specs," Nick sighed in relief, "I can't seem to get through to him that he's just not normal."

"He needs a social life," Skittery pointed out.

"Says the guy with no social life whatsoever," David commented dryly.

"David," Specs said, "You have the highest average in the class. I don't think studying will get you any higher on the scale…especially not with the girls."

"Who has time for girls when we have school to concentrate on," David asked with a sigh, finally putting down his pen and paper, "Besides, if you don't remember, we live at an all boys school…"

"Not exactly the best place to find women," Nick mimicked David as he said the words. David glared at him while Skittery and Specs laughed.

"You do sound like that," Specs told him, "I guess we'll have to wait until we're in our twenties before we can find women in our lives."

Their conversation was interrupted by pounding on the door. The four looked at each other, until David finally stood up.

"I'll get it," he mumbled when nobody else bothered to move. When he opened the door, nobody was there. The only thing different was the flyer tacked to the door. He picked it up and read it out loud.

FIRST ANNUAL DANCE

WITH THE KREIGER SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

WHEN: OCTOBER 16, 7:00 PM

WHERE: KREIGER GYM

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME FOR THIS EVENT TO TAKE PLACE.

ON SATURDAY, A MEETING WILL OCCUR IN OURGYM AREA WITH THE GIRLS OF THE KREIGER SCHOOL AT 10 AM. TAKE THE TIME TO GET TO KNOW THEM BEFORE THE BIG DANCE.

Farther down the hall

"A dance," a boy with long black hair asked, looking at the flyer, "Why are they doing this now?"

"Who knows Miguel," Blake Richland replied, "But I'm not complaining."

"Me neither Blink," a voice said in a heavy New York accent. Both turned to face Vince Price, "Who wants to bet that I can get a date?"

"Race, everyone is going to get a date," the last boy spoke up. Ivan Halfield was usually making sense for once, "The girls there probably haven't seen a guy in months. They're going to want a date."

"You just have to take the fun out of everything, don't you Dutchy," Race asked, "So Bumlets, are you excited about the dance," Race glanced at him.

"I guess," Miguel replied, "I'll have to see once I meet the girls."

"Who cares," Race commented, "The girls will be all over us."

"How can you know," Bumlets asked, "What if they don't like us?"

"Not like us," Blink questioned, "Are you insane? Some of them are bound to like us. They can't hate us all."

"I guess you're right," Bumlets agreed, "but I'm still a little nervous."

"Don't be," a new voice spoke up from the doorway. Michael Nichols leaned against the doorframe as he peered in.

"Like you would know Spot," Race stated with a smirk, "What would you know about girls?"

"Plenty," Spot answered, and then scowled, "And don't call me that."

"I can call you whatever I want," Race told him, "But continue…what do you know about girls?"

"I have two older brothers," Spot replied, "They told me all about women…what they like, don't like, flowers, chocolate…the whole thing."

"Hey, doesn't your sister go to Kreiger," Blink asked suddenly. Spot nodded.

"Yeah, she goes there," Spot answered, "But it doesn't mean that I can't date her friends."

"How…nice of you," Bumlets commented, barely hiding the disgust in his voice.

"I can't believe they're coming here…tomorrow," Blink said, "All those girls in one room…I haven't seen that many girls since before I came here."

"That's because we go to an All-Boys school," Race grumbled, "The one thing about school that I can't stand."

"The one thing," Spot asked, raising an eyebrow in questioning, "After all the times I've listened to you complain about schoolwork, the cramped living space and the uniforms."

"Okay, so it's the thing I hate the most," Race told him.

"Do we have to wear tuxes," Bumlets asked. The boys all looked at each other at that question...dreading the answer they were sure to hear.

Notes: Next chapter is going to be the girls at Kreiger.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: First chapter with the girls! Yeah! Just to let everyone know, I did not get descriptions for every character, so if it's wrong at all, let me know and I'll fix it. Luckily, I have past casting calls, so I just checked those.

And I'm sorry to say that not every girl got the guy they wanted. I tried my best. There are three guys left however…Snoddy, Pie Eater and Jake. The following girls were not paired and may choose either one of these guys or one of the guy OCs who will appear next chapter: Pocket, Libby, Kinlee, Dreamer, Penni, Leprechaun, Catherine, Hollywood and Viper.

However, thank you to those who choose a less known newsie as one of their choices. That made it a bit easier. However, one OC guy is not available, because it's one that my boyfriend sent in. I will let you know who it is next chapter. Also next chapter, I will tell you which boy goes with which nickname.

The All-Girls School…auditorium

"I don't know if this is punishment or a reward," Katelan Erickson, more commonly known as Gamble, mumbled to a girl sitting nearby, her voice full of sarcasm, "Dances are okay, but finding a date…it's almost not worth it."

Gamble shifted her brown-hazel eyes to the front of the auditorium as Mrs. Kreiger continued talking about the upcoming dance. A bit bored by the speech, she played with the tips of her shoulder length blonde hair, which were red and black.

"It's definitely a reward," Tyler Anders, or Rebel, whispered back to her, "The only boys I've seen in months are my brothers and they don't count." She narrowed her dark brown eyes as she looked around the room in hopes of finding something to occupy the time until they could leave. She had dark brown hair with light brown and blonde highlights. She sighed when nothing caught her attention and turned back to the front. Mrs. Kreiger completed her talk about the event a few minutes later.

"Do we have to wear dresses," Amanda Berkley, or Spaz asked when the time for questions came. A jingling sounded as the girl raised her hand, due to the many bracelets she wore. She had brown hair that was longer in the front and shorter in the back. Two long strips of hair framed the front of her face. Her green eyes peered out from blue tinted glasses, waiting for the answer.

"No, you don't," Mrs. Kreiger replied, "It would be nice if you would, but it's not required. In fact, next Friday, we'll be leaving to do some shopping, for those of you who didn't pack an outfit with you. Now, are there any more questions?"

"What about the decorating and music committees," Veralidaine Quincy, or the easier way to say her name, 'Daine' asked, barely heard above the crowd.

"Good question," Mrs. Kreiger told her, "Those interested in helping will meet in Room 117, Ms. Halloway's room, after this meeting is over. She is the art teacher and she will be there so you can discuss your ideas with her. Now…is there anything else?"

The questions went on until finally everybody was satisfied with the answers they received.

"Okay, since nobody else has any questions, I'll let you get back to your activities. Remember, those interesting in decorating and music committee…Room 117." These words relieved everybody as the girls filed out of the room, grateful to be getting away. Whispered and excited voices sounded, echoing throughout the area. The main doors out of the building allowed sunlight in and a few girls blinked as they stepped outside. It was much dimmer in the auditorium.

"Girls, wait up," Brittany Colosimo, or Britts called, running to catch up with her roommates. Gamble and Rebel paused, waiting for her. The last roommate, Alison Manning, also known as Bookworm ran up a moment later, her long brown hair reacting to her movements. Her blue eyes showed her excitement about the dance. She stood at 5 foot 4, just two inches shorter than Britts and Rebel. Gamble, however stood two inches shorter at 5 foot 2.

Britts looked annoyed at the hair in front of her brown eyes. She smoothed down her reddish-brown hair, which was short in the back, gradually sloping to the length of her chin in the front, "Isn't it weird that they waited until now to have a dance?"

"Maybe a little," Bookworm admitted, "I've been here since freshman year and this is the first time they've planned a dance. I wonder why they changed their minds."

Room 117…Ms. Halloway's Room

Ms. Halloway looked out at the group of 6 girls who sat in front of her with a bit of disappointment. She had expected a bigger group than this. It looked like more people were willing to go to the dance than help out.

Only two of the girls looked really excited to help out. Ms. Halloway recognized Catherine Powers, more commonly known as Artist, because of the wonderful art pieces she created in class.

Curly red hair fell to about her shoulders, making her freckles more visible. She wore a white blouse decorated with paint stains and pants with words and phrases written on them with fabric markers.

Daine was the other girl. Her short, curly, light brown hair was done in shaggy layers. Her dark hazel eyes were focused on the front, waiting for the first instructions. Baggy pants, a fitted black graphic tee, and black and white checkered Vans completed the rest of her look. The other four girls, Kylie 'Leprechaun' O'Sullivan, Molly 'Penni' O'Conner, Victoria 'Broadway' Greeves and Kay 'Aqua' Wood didn't look as excited about the project. But…they were there and that's all that mattered.

"Okay, welcome to the first meeting of the committee," Ms. Halloway started, "We have a lot of work ahead of us. Decorations are our main concern, because we have to put them up the day of the dance. music, we can hold off on for a while."

"So," Penni spoke up, her green-brown eyes looking up, "Is this a casual dance or more like a Prom or something?" She wore her curly red hair to the center of her back and brushed it quickly out of her face.

"It's almost like a Prom," Ms. Halloway answered, "It's not as fancy, but it's supposed to be nice…allow the boys and girls to meet, dance, know each other."

"Aren't we meeting them tomorrow," Leprechaun asked. She had bluish-green eyes and curly red hair.

Ms. Halloway nodded, "You are…but not all the girls or guys will have a chance to meet everybody. There are so many of you."

"Why don't we have some kind of performance," Broadway asked, "to welcome the guys to our school." Green eyes looked up at the teacher. Her wavy, chestnut brown hair reached to her shoulders.

"That would be kinda cool," Aqua agreed. She had light blue eyes and reddish-brown hair that just went passed her shoulders.

"I know a lot of people who would help," Broadway continued. A few of the other girls nodded as well, knowing roommates that they could ask.

"Okay, that sounds good," Ms. Halloway stated, "Let's start planning."

Notes: I simply picked out 5 girls to be on the Decoration and music committee. Two mentioned it in the CCs they sent me and I just went through the others and choose which ones might possibly be interested. If you don't want your character to be involved in the committee, just tell me in your review or e-mail me. I will think of a reason for them to quit. On the other hand, if you're interested in helping, please tell me. I put myself in there simply because I never helped out at my Prom, though I wanted to. I need ideas for songs and decorations. Send ideas to me.


	3. Building Excitement

Notes: Sorry it took me so long to update. It's been crazy lately with finals almost here and of course, it'll be pretty busy for me this week because of Thanksgiving. Ahhh! I have two Thanksgivings to go to…my boyfriend's on Thursday and with my family (brother's coming over) on Friday.

Okay, like I promised…the list of boys' names to their nicknames.

Mush – Nick, Specs – Nathan, Skittery – Zachary, Bumlets – Miguel, Race – Vince, Blink – Blake, Dutchy – Ivan, Snitch – Matthew, Swifty – Daryl, Itey - Daniel, Spot – Michael, Snoddy – Lucas, Pie Eater – Steven, Crutchy – Jacob, Boots – William

The newsies that aren't mentioned don't have nicknames: David, Jake, Jack

There's the entire list of the newsies, only because I'll be introducing them by their first names. CC's will be introduced separately, so you should be able to tell them apart. Most guy CCs will be introduced this chapter, so there aren't as many newsies in this one. Oh…and Tiger is the only CC boy off limits…my boyfriend sent it in.

This is another chapter with the guys. I will be having a lot more girls introduced in the next chapter, which will be the meeting at the gym. All the CC guys should be introduced this chapter.

Disclaimer: I only own Woody (nickname) in this chapter. I needed one more boy for one of the rooms.

Building Excitement 

It was hard to tell whether the guys were excited about the dance or not. While the thought of girls was inviting and encouraging, the thought of having to possibly wear tuxes was more torturous. That's why they dreaded the upcoming meeting that afternoon. The one who probably dreaded it the most though was more than likely William Caswell or Boots to his close friends. He was the youngest of the group at 15 and girls still brought to mind images of cooties. Having been away from girls for years, except for the occasional visit home, the thought of ever dating them or even dancing with them was disgusting.

His roommate was anything but pessimistic about the whole thing though. Jacob Edwards, or Crutchy as he was commonly known, was looking forward to the evening. The nickname was a result of the time when he had sprained his ankle while showing off some dance moves at an annual event the Boys' School put together. He was on crutches for about three weeks. He answered to the name proudly though, knowing that it was a joke. He was one of few guys at the school who could dance.

"Do you have to do that now," Boots yelled, turning to Crutchy, who was blasting dance music in order to practice.

"The dance is in a month," Crutchy replied, finding no problem communicating over the sounds, "We have to get ready."

Boots sighed. He was one of the guys who couldn't dance…hence his name. He danced as if he had two heavy boots on his feet, stumbling and with no coordination. It was a joke, but he never did find it too funny. Luckily, his friends did not call him that often.

Boots turned back to his drawing. Even if his feet refused to work, his hands definitely did not. He had no idea what he was drawing, but it would eventually be a masterpiece, he hoped.

"Blast that a little louder, why don't you," Anthony Woodard, or Woody remarked, walking into the room. He had dark brown hair and green eyes, which were narrowed slightly in Crutchy's direction.

"He's been practicing for the last half hour," Boots complained.

"Come on, aren't you guys excited about the dance," Crutchy asked. Boots shook his head vehemently and Woody shrugged.

"It's just a dance," he remarked.

"Girls can be so immature sometimes," a new voice said. Peter Baxter sat on the nearest chair, "I hope they're nothing like my younger sister." He had curly blond-brown hair that reached to about his ears and green eyes. He stood at 5 foot 11 and was thin for his age of 17.

"She annoying," Woody asked and Peter nodded without hesitation.

"Well, let's hope that this first meeting with them tomorrow goes well," Peter said, then paused a second in thought. His eyes clearly said 'what the heck was I going to say?' The other boys waited patiently for him to finish his thought. He looked up suddenly in remembrance, "I was going to join Tiger and the other guys in the game room. Do you guys want to come?"

"Nothing else to do," Boots agreed. The other two boys shrugged, bored anyway and silently stood to their feet.

Peter led them down to a room where about ten guys were sitting before televisions, controllers in hand. A group of four nearby caught their attention.

Two of the boys were in a heated competition through the street fighting game they were playing. One of the guys, who had spiked raven black hair, looked up to quickly acknowledge their existence before turning his deep black eyes back to the screen. His fingers flew as he tried to avoid any oncoming attacks.

Another, his black hair covered by a baseball hat with a tiger on it didn't even remove his dark brown eyes from the television. A few buttons were pushed and the figure on the right hand side of the screen sent a flying kick at his opponent, who didn't move after falling. The boy with the cap went into a victory chant, arms up in the air, not too subtly boasting about his win.

"Shut up Tiger," the first boy growled, "It wasn't that close of a win."

"You're just jealous Diablo," Tiger replied, grinning widely, "Okay, who wants to play me next?" Peter quickly grabbed a controller, before reaching forward to select a different game. He scanned through the titles before selecting one…his personal favorite. Tiger groaned a bit at seeing the snowboarding game in Peter's hand, but made no other complaint. Peter placed the game into the system.

Peter looked around quickly for a moment before glancing down at his hands. He sighed to himself, mindful of his forgetful nature. The controller was still gripped in his left hand.

Once the game started, Peter's fingers seemed to fly to the buttons, pushing one and immediately moving to another. It was easy to see that this was one game that Tiger couldn't win. Peter knew all the tricks of the game.

Tiger scowled himself as Peter's character was declared the victor. However, the scowl soon transformed into a grin as he congratulated his friend. Tiger honestly didn't mind losing and was quite used to Peter's victories on this particular game.

A few of the other boys challenged Peter and for a few more moments, the only sounds were of the video game and the occasional shouts of victory and groans of disappointment.

When the announcement came on that informed the boys to report to the gym, several groans echoed throughout the room. The two boys playing a video game rushed to finish their game before leaving.

Once all the boys had assembled in the gym, the boring process of talking about the dance began. All the basic information was repeated almost nonstop into their heads, as if they were incapable of remembering even the simplest instruction.

The second that questions were allowed about twenty hands went up. The speaker looked over the group with a small grin on his face.

"You don't have to wear tuxes," the man, Mr. Redman said, "Just try to look nice." More than half of the hands went down.

Jonathan Roald Conte III, whose hand was the first in the air, sighed in relief, having too many of the black and white suits at home. His black hair stopped just above his ears, a single strand happening to land in front of his blue eyes. He shifted his 6 foot 3 frame in the small space allowed him on the bleachers. His questions were answered as far as he was concerned.

"How many girls go there exactly," Eric Thorne asked, his green-gray eyes narrowing as his mouth curled into a smirk. A few of the guys nodded and grinned in agreement.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of girls that everyone will get a date," Mr. Redman told them, shaking his head at the question.

"So, we're meeting them tomorrow," Boots asked.

"That's right," Mr. Redman said, "Be here at the gym at ten tomorrow morning. Take the time to talk to them and consider who you would like to ask. For this purpose we are allowing you to exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Remember that those are usually privileges for family members only, so you can only call and e-mail at certain times. We're opening the computer room from two to five during the week so use the time when you can."

The boys were dismissed and they quickly exited. Several went back to the activity they had been interrupted in the middle of and others simply wondered about the following day and the events to come.


	4. They're here!

Notes: I'm sorry it's taking so long for me to update. It's been a bit busy. I have finals this week and it's been kind of hectic lately. But I'll probably be working a bit more after next week…one of the perks of Christmas Vacation…note the sarcasm. Anyway, enjoy! And if your character doesn't appear this chapter, don't worry. I'll most likely make this part to be two chapters instead. Also, please forgive me if I got anything about the auras wrong, I just looked it up. I really don't know anything about them.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this chapter. The newsies belong to Disney and the girls to their respectable and amazing owners.

The day that the girls piled into the buses, headed for the other side of town, it was cold, but that was not unusual for September. Several were rubbing their hands for warmth halfway to the buses in the parking lot and rushing through the opening door of the large vehicle. They groaned as their names were called for roll, an unpleasant necessity.

Danielle Phillips or Hollywood stared out the window as they pulled away from the school building, her chocolate-colored eyes obviously giving away that she was daydreaming. That, or she was worried. Her tall frame looked awkward sitting in the small seats of the bus. Her dirty blonde hair, which reached down to just passed her shoulders, disappeared slightly under the baggy sweatshirt that she wore.

The girl that sat beside Hollywood nudged her gently, knowing that something was on her friend's mind. Saiorse Marie Bernadette Callan, or as she preferred to be called "Irish", raked a hand through her layered brown hair when she got no reply. She then directed her two different colored eyes, one blue and the other purple, out the window as well, trying to see what Hollywood was staring at.

"Are you okay," Irish finally asked, a bit tired of the silence. Hollywood jumped slightly at the sound of her friend's voice, but smiled at herself after a moment for her forgetfulness of the people around her.

"I'm fine," she replied, "I'm just a bit worried, that's all." Irish didn't say anything more. She knew how Hollywood could be sometimes and always tried to be kind to her friend's wishes, "What if they don't like me?"

Irish broke into a grin at that and laughed, "Don't like you? Of course they will. Once they get to know you, they'll love you." Hollywood smiled at that. That was Irish, always trying to make her friends see the bright side of things.

"I know. I'm just nervous," Hollywood told her.

"Your hair's down," Irish commented suddenly, "It looks nice."

"That's the point," Hollywood explained, sounding a little nervous, "I wanted to look a bit nicer for the guys. Besides, it's a bit too cold for skirts."

"Winter will be here in a few months," Irish agreed.

"I almost wish I didn't come," Hollywood said after a moment of silence, "I'm not exactly a people person."

"We're here anyway," the girl who sat in the aisle beside them said. McKinlee Dawson pointed out the window, where a group of brick buildings were coming into view. A small banner was hung above a door, declaring 'Welcome to Redman!' and was obviously made by someone who was very talented. It was obvious by the fancy lettering and drawings of stars and flowers decorating it.

Once they parked in front of the door, several girls rushed out, wanting to get to the warmth of the gym as quickly as possible. The others followed at a slower pace, a little apprehensive about the upcoming meeting.

That morning they had all been told the rules and that fact did not make them any less uneasy, knowing that Mrs. Kreiger was going to be watching their every move.

McKinlee was one of the last off the bus, not wanting to get trampled by the heat-loving girls who rushed out ahead of her. Kinlee as she wanted to be called, allowed her emerald-green eyes to look around at the boys' campus. Her mouth rounded into a slight smirk as her straight, dark brown hair swept into her eyes. It went to her shoulders and was layered with side-swept bangs, golden highlights running through its length.

Kinlee stood up as the way cleared and exited the bus. The door to the gym stood wide open and she didn't hesitate to enter either as the chill met her skin. Winter was definitely approaching fast.

She entered the room, looking up after her eyes adjusted to the bright lighting. She was greeted with the sight of about thirty boys staring in her direction…well, all of the girls' direction, but the looks on their faces were priceless. They looked like they hadn't seen a girl in years and that probably wasn't much of an understatement.

Glancing around the room, Kinlee noticed that it looked like a scene from one of those stupid middle school movies where they go to a school dance…boys were on one side of the room and girls on the other. They appeared to be staring each other down or were too shy to go over and introduce themselves.

After a moment of silence, Kinlee took a step towards the guys. Someone had to move first or the two hours that the girls were there was going to be wasted. A few of the other bolder girls moved after a second or so as well.

The nearest guy to Colleen Dupont or Zodiac was her first victim, or acquaintance if you will. She had no hesitancy in approaching him. Her hazel eyes met his as he turned to face her, the first girl to approach him. Her chin length hair, so deep red it almost appeared burgundy, was covered with a black bandana and contrasted almost sharply with her pale skin. She was shorter than he was at 5 foot 1, so when she stepped back after a moment to stare up at him, he only stared back in confusion.

"What are you doing," Dutchy finally asked, raising an eyebrow in both annoyance and questioning.

"I like your aura," Zodiac told him, still studying him, "I sense that you're a person who's full of inner joy. You're also very generous and not attached to anything…or in this case, anyone, correct?"

Dutchy had nothing to say to this statement. She was a lot bolder than most girls that he had met in the past. He didn't even know her name yet and she was getting straight to the point.

"Not right now," Dutchy admitted a bit hesitantly, reaching back to scratch his neck, a sure sign that he was nervous.

"Dutchy, save me," Spot suddenly ran up behind him.

"What is it Spot," Dutchy asked, looking at Zodiac apologetically. Spot simply pointed out into the crowd to where a girl with long, thick, wavy chocolate brown hair was approaching him.

"You got to be kidding," Zodiac spoke up, "It's just May. She can't hurt you."

Dutchy simply looked at Spot with a smirk, "I thought you knew everything about girls. You know…flowers, candy, the works?"

"My brothers never taught me how to deal with crazy ones," Spot told him, "She's so…bubbly and innocent. I can't stand it!"

"Is something wrong," May asked as she reached the group, "We were just talking." Her deep green eyes looked a bit hurt that Spot had simply left her company without saying 'goodbye'. She was only a few inches shorter than Spot at 5 foot 1, but at 15 was a few years younger. Freckles adorned her face and complimented rather than clashed with her fair, pale skin.

May's appearance, wearing a pink skirt and a white shirt, made her appear a bit younger than her years, but it was a look that well-suited her innocent nature.

"Nothing's wrong," Dutchy told her, "I just wanted Spot to meet her." He motioned to Zodiac, "Sorry if I dragged him away from you." May's eyes seemed to brighten a bit more at this, while Spot shot Dutchy a glare. However, knowing that Dutchy wasn't one to try and hurt feelings, he just nodded in pretend agreement.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Spot said, walking a few feet away with May following.

"That was nice of you," Zodiac said once May was out of earshot, "She's sensitive…if she knew that Spot was just trying to get away from her, she would have cried."

"I hate seeing girls cry," Dutchy admitted with an embarrassed shrug, "Plus, she seemed nice enough. Spot is just weird around girls."

"Anyway, I'm Zodiac," she told him, holding out a hand, which he shook quickly.

"Dutchy," he replied.

"Do you read your horoscope Dutchy," Zodiac asked.

"Yeah, but just for fun," Dutchy replied, "Sometimes it's weird how close they are to real life."

Zodiac didn't speak for a moment, but was rather thinking about what a part her horoscope had said that day. 'Fortune smiles upon you at this time'. It looked like it had been right.

Notes: The horoscope was actually from a fortune cookie I got. The next chapter will continue, but from the POV of the guys. There are still plenty more girls to introduce.


	5. Taking a Chance

Notes: So, here's the next chapter. Once again, if you don't see your character, don't worry. I'm mostly trying to introduce the girls who haven't appeared yet. Only two new characters are in this chapter. I really tried to do it from the guys' POV, but I think I'm going to do one more chapter from the girls' POV during the first meeting. So, this chapter is short, but I'm going to write another from the girls' POV again. And it'll definitely be longer. It's mainly because most of the girls left are for the OC guys or don't have one.

David stayed away from the large group talking in the middle of the gym. He sat on the bleachers, writing purposefully on the journal that he held. He had more important things to do than talk to girls. He scribbled some words down. His English paper was due on Wednesday and there was no way that he was going to fail.

He glanced up momentarily before lowering his head again, trying to ignore the laughter. David wasn't shy around girls, contrary to what most thought about him. He just was not entirely convinced that girls would go for the nerdy guy who went to study group every Thursday and tutored in math for fun.

Boots was sitting a few feet to David's right, frantically drawing in a sketchbook. He only looked up every couple of seconds and seemed oblivious to the world around him. Boots was as passionate about his art as David was his work.

"Hey Davy," another boy approached them, twisting the bandana around his neck in a pathetic attempt to straighten it, "Boots." Jack was one of few people who could call him 'Boots' without getting a glare or a sneer as a reward. He never said it in jest.

"It's David," he replied, "Or do you want me to call you by your middle name…Francis." He smirked a bit at Jack's discomfort.

"Don't even go there," the cowboy remarked under his breath to David, "You've been my best friend for two years. You should know that by now."

"What are you doing over here anyway," David asked, "When we were in middle school, you always had girls around you."

"Just thought I'd see what my friends were doing," Jack said in a voice that was laced with innocence, obviously fake, "What are you doing?"

"English homework," David told him without hesitation, "And Boots is drawing something. I don't know what."

"Homework," Jack questioned, his face showing his disgust at the thought, "There are…what…30 girls out there and you're doing homework?"

"At least it's-hey!" David exclaimed as Jack grabbed the journal from his grasp and took off with it. The sad thing was, David wasn't even that surprised, "Jack! I'm going to kill you and this time I mean it!"

Jack simply grinned at this. David's threats were always empty and he never did pull through with them. He shrugged to himself. At least David was socializing…kind of. Besides, someone had to get him to join the group, whether or not by force.

Jack had just tossed the journal to Blink when David ran into a problem. A problem in the form of a short, blond haired girl who was directly in his path. He tried to move out of the way, but still managed to knock straight into her. He luckily balanced himself in time. The girl wasn't so lucky and fell to her knees from the impact. And from then, David's apologetic nature took over.

"I'm so sorry," David told her, immediately getting down on his knees as well to help, "I didn't see you. Jack just ran off with…I'm sorry. Are you all right?"

"It's okay," the girl cut him off quietly, "You only have to apologize once."

"Sorry," David replied, "My friend was…"

"I'm Skylar," the girl spoke up, much louder and more suddenly than before, "Most people call me Sunshine though." She turned to face him, her brown amber eyes meeting with his for a split second. She stood up with David's help, "Thanks."

"David," he replied, "I'm David. Sorry for running into you."

"It's no problem," Sunshine told him with a smile on her face this time, "I assume that it doesn't happen too often."

"Not usually," David answered, raising his voice a little to be heard above the crowd, "I guess I overreacted."

"Maybe a little," Sunshine remarked dryly, but with a smirk to let him know that she was joking.

"Sunshine," a girl seemed to suddenly appear at Sunshine's other side, "I'm going to wait by the bleachers. I'm not very comfortable with this." The brunette gestured to the crowd of people, hazel-brown eyes displaying this very discomfort.

"Okay," Sunshine replied with a nod, before turning her attention back to David.

Just as quickly, another boy joined the group, slightly out of breath and holding a notebook in one hand. He offered it to David, who took it back almost forcefully from his grasp, "I finally got it back. I had no idea how many of the guys were in on that game."

"They better not have ruined my notes," David said as he flipped through the pages, "I have a big paper due this week. My schedule for math tutoring is in here."

"You're good at math," Sunshine asked him quickly. David nodded, "Actually, I need some help in math right now. Maybe you could tutor me?" David looked at her with wide eyes and she smiled, "Let me give you my phone number."

(Bleachers)

Lailie sighed as she sat down at the bleachers, glancing around the room. She might actually enjoy the company if half the guys didn't look like they threw on the first thing they touched that morning. They were running around, one even rudely jostling her and tossing a notebook right in front of her face to get it to another boy.

They were laughing loudly, screaming to be heard over each other. It was generally the type of event she tended to avoid. However, she knew that she was stuck there for another few hours. Might as well get used to it.

(Itey)

Still out of breath from chasing down David's journal, Itey dragged his way to the bleachers to sit down for a moment. He barely paid any attention to the girl sitting a few feet away until she shifted slightly, creating enough noise to capture his interest.

She had a more put-together look compared to the other girls, her long brown hair in one braid down her back. Clean cut jeans and a blue polo shirt completed this image.

"What are you doing over here," Itey asked hesitantly.

"I'm not too big on crowds…or dances for that matter," the girl replied after a moment.

"I'm Daniel, but most call me Itey," he told her, remembering that introducing yourself was a good way to make new friends. He held out a hand.

"Lailie Abram…call me Lai," she answered, shaking his hand briefly. There was a silence between them for a moment. Itey was more than likely trying to decide if this was a good place for a joke and Lai's thoughts leaning more towards if she should even continue speaking to this boy. Finally though, her mind was made up, "I saw what you did for your friend. That was nice of you."

"It's no big deal," Itey shrugged, "David and I have know each other since elementary school. We're not best friends or anything, but I know he hates it when someone steals his journal."

"You're protective of your friends," Lai asked, sounding a little shy due to her bold question.

"Only when they deserve it," Itey laughed, "And occasionally when most of them don't."

Lai laughed quietly at this. She often felt that way about her friends as well, but her natural ability to judge based on first impressions sometimes clouded her judgement about whether they deserved it or not. Luckily, most of her friends understood and didn't get angry when she didn't immediately jump to their defense.

"Are you excited about the dance," Itey asked, not wanting to avoid the topic, especially since it was why they were there in the first place.

"I find it a bit unnecessary," Lai admitted, "I didn't come to school to socialize."

"Just think of it as a short break," Itey told her, "I don't exactly do dances, but if it's a chance to relax, I'll take it."

"I'll have to go anyway," Lai said, "I'm not staying at the school by myself, not that Mrs. Kreiger will let me."

"Then…do you want to come with me," Itey asked. She shot him a quick glare, "We don't have to dance. We'll just go as acquaintances."

Lai placed her head in her hands, obviously thinking about the options. Her eyebrows knit together as she finally sighed and then looked over at him, "Okay, I'll go. But only as friends, okay?"

"So I'm your friend now," Itey questioned.

"Close enough," Lai nodded. They exchanged information.

Itey really wondered if he could get her to dance. He would hate for her to watch from a table all night. But maybe there was a way and he'd be willing to try it out.


	6. Boys and Their Many Mysteries

Notes: Yeah, it's the next chapter! Okay, I'll get straight to the point. Some of the OC guys have not been claimed. They are: Pie Eater (the only newsie, how sad), Peter, Diablo, and my guy character, Woody. Also, someone reminded me of the Delancey's recently. Oscar has already been claimed, but Morris is up for grabs.

All but one character has been introduced, including this chapter. The next chapter will be strictly from that one character's POV, which will be Viper. I may add more to it if needed.

Girls without guys are: Dreamer, Hollywood, Libby, Catherine O'Connell and Viper. If you don't want any of the above, you may send me an OC guy. Some of you agreed to take an OC character. Just let me know who you'd like.

One more note: I talked about the dance committee a few chapters back. I also mentioned them doing a performance for the guys. I want to do a song from a Broadway show for that. However, I need your ideas. I know Rent, Wicked and The Lion King and that's basically it. I own Cats, but haven't watched it enough to know any of the words. So, any ideas from these or any show you know of, please let me know. I also know some from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Miserables, Into the Woods, and Annie (though I wouldn't suggest it).

"Hi," was the simplest form of greeting known. So, approached in such a casual manner, Racetrack responded likewise. From his usual sarcastic remarks, few thought that Race would be shy, but the realization that girls were actually in his school seemed to come slow for him.

"Hey," he replied back. The girl who stood before him had chin length reddish-brown hair that appeared to be chopped off at the end. Her green eyes contrasted nicely with her hair color and that's one of the first things that Race noticed about her.

"I'm Fox," she introduced herself, holding out a hand and smiling widely, grin reaching across her face. Race didn't question why she didn't introduce herself by her full name like most girls had been doing.

"Vince Price," Race replied, "Most of my friends call me Racetrack though, or Race for short."

"That's a weird nickname," Fox told him, not even showing a hint about sparing his feelings, "How do you guys come up with them anyway?"

"By personality," Race shrugged, "What we like to do, how we act…it depends really. Some of us have even weirder nicknames than mine."

"You don't say," Fox grinned at this, "Do you happen to know the nickname of a certain Michael Nichols?" Race raised an eyebrow at this, "I used to go to school with him. Last I heard he was coming to school here."

"Yeah, he's my best friend. Goes by Spot now, though I have no idea how they came up with that."

"Someone talking about me," Spot let himself into the conversation. The smile that he had on his face faded when he saw who it was, "Audrey!"

"Hey bro," Fox replied with a smile creeping on her face, "Or should I say Spot…"

Spot's eyes narrowed at this, "What are you doing here?" Fox rolled her eyes, used to her brother's often-oblivious comments.

"I go to Kreiger, or did you forget," she asked him. Spot sighed. He hadn't seen his sister in so long, he had completely forgotten.

"I remember," he told her, "I just didn't expect to run into you. There are so many other people here."

Race watched this exchange with wide eyes, looking back and forth between the two. He never would have guessed that these two would be related. Their looks were very different from one another and no resemblance could be seen.

"You two are related" Race asked in astonishment, breaking apart the small argument, "You don't look it."

"Thanks," the siblings said in unison.

"Hey guys, what's going on," Jack joined their group. He looked between Spot and Audrey. Upon closer examination, you could see the same trademark smirk gracing both of their lips, "Hey Audrey."

"You know her," Race exclaimed. Jack looked at him in confusion.

"Yeah, I had to stay at Spot's house for a bit during summer vacation. I met Audrey there," Jack replied, ignoring Audrey's laugh when he said 'Spot'.

"But…you two are brother and sister," Race continued, stammering, "But…I…"

"Spotty, you don't mind if Race here takes me to the dance, do you," Fox asked, throwing an arm around Race's shoulders.

"Better him than anyone else," Spot shrugged. He made the motion to walk away, but turned back suddenly, "You take good care of her Race. If you do anything to hurt her…" Spot left that sentence hanging, the warning clear in his tone.

"Don't listen to him," Fox told Race, "His threats are hollow, he's just a bit overprotective of me sometimes. Especially because you're a friend of his I'd say."

"Yeah, who stuck a pole up…"

"Sodapop, that's my brother you're talking about," Fox stopped her, but a grin played across her face anyway, "Don't worry, I won't tell him."

The brunette who had just appeared beside them smirked, amusement flooding into her green eyes, which were rimmed with orange around the pupil. Because of the almost odd coloring of her eyes, the blonde and red highlights she had blended in rather well.

Though Jack was a good friend of Spot's, he couldn't help but laugh at Sodapop's comment. Spot gave a good first impression, usually whispers of 'he's hot' or 'his eyes are so blue'. For a girl to insult Spot right away without knowing him was a rare feat and to Jack, quite hilarious as well.

"Does he always find sarcasm so humorous," Sodapop asked, looking at Race, who nodded quickly, "Maybe I should say something about him and see how he likes it."

"Spot's known as a bit of a ladies man," Race explained, "Well, when we're not in school that is."

"The girls may think he's cute, but he doesn't know how to treat a lady," Fox said.

"How do you know that," Jack asked her, recovering from his laughter.

"He learned from our older brothers," Fox answered with a grin.

In the Crowd...

Mingling among the crowds of people were five girls. They stayed together as often as they could, hoping to perhaps capture the interest of a group of guys standing nearby.

Three of them were roommates. Libby, Tiffany Stilz and Aqua had decided to stick together while walking around.

Tiffany or Pocket, was the life of the group and guaranteed to start a conversation where the other two couldn't. She was shy, but could gather her strength quickly after meeting them. Libby and Aqua weren't necessarily shy, but more likely to listen than talk.

Pocket was the second oldest at 16, that was one year younger than Aqua. Her wavy, light brown hair ended a few inches passed her shoulders and appeared to be layered. Her hair, along with her green eyes which also displayed some blue, easily showed her easy-going nature that most people admired.

Libby was more commonly known as Chula and had shoulder-length dark brown hair, lighter brown highlights running through it. Her tanned skin only complimented her brown eyes, which clearly displayed her caring nature.

The last girl was Ann Guyer, or Dreamer to most. Dirty blonde hair, adorned with light blonde highlights reached to her shoulders. Her eyes peered from behind glasses. She was always good for when one of the girls needed a push in the right direction. Though often outgoing and crazy, she knew how to encourage people if needed.

It was Dreamer who first grabbed attention from a group of guys standing nearby. The girls were talking about nothing in particular, but Dreamer always knew how to liven a story or conversation.

"Hi," one of the guys greeted them, grinning at them almost contagiously. Three other boys followed him, one of which flashed them an easygoing smile, "I'm Peter and these are…" He paused in thought briefly. The girls took this brief time to introduce themselves as well.

"Jon," the boy with the easygoing smile introduced himself.

"What, no last name," Pocket asked with a smile, then looked down suddenly, surprised at her quick outburst. She usually wasn't so quick to speak around boys she had just met.

"It's Jonathan Roald Conte the third," Jon sighed, ending with a grimace.

"What a name," Pocket continued, less surprised at herself, "Your family rich or something?"

"Something like that," he replied, "and I prefer Jon." Pocket nodded that she would call him so.

"Who are your other friends," Dreamer asked, directing her question to Peter, who glanced behind him, startled by the other boys. He had obliviously forgotten that they were there.

"The name's Chris Trevino, but my friends call me Tiger," one boy told them, making an exaggerated gesture with his eyebrows, obliviously joking. Dreamer, Pocket and Libby laughed at his expression, but Aqua didn't seem as amused by his antics. She simply replied with her own raised eyebrow, not too subtly letting Tiger know what she thought immediately.

"Anthony Woodard or Woody," the other responded before Tiger could react to Aqua's expression, "You excited about the dance?"

"Yes," Dreamer exclaimed, "It's a great idea for a get-together, isn't it?" She nudged Chula who stood beside her.

"I guess," Chula replied quietly, eyes lowering to the ground. Aqua's eyes did the same. Both were a bit apprehensive about the upcoming event. In that one aspect at least, the two girls had something in common. Pocket merely nodded, a smile showing her interest.

"We're still looking for dates though," Pocket told them, "There are a lot of guys to choose from." It was obvious that she didn't mean it in a rude way, but simply pointing out the large amount of guys in the room.

A lot of girls around the room were busy talking or wandering around to find somebody to start a conversation with. Several had already given the boys their information, though the guys gave out their share of numbers and e-mail addresses as well.

"We don't have dates yet either," Peter came back into the conversation, pausing from his constant moving. Then he stopped, "Wait, do we?"

"Not yet," Woody told him dryly, all too used to this conversation.

"Imagine that, neither of us have dates," Peter stated, then actually listened to what he had said, "Hey, why don't we go together?"

"That might work," Dreamer agreed, turning to the other girls and smiling.

"Hey guys," a new girl entered the conversation. Catherine O'Connell, very rarely called Scrappy, walked up quietly upon saying the two words. Curly, sandy-blonde hair grazed her shoulders, the color contrasting nicely with her gray eyes. Due to her short stature and usual silence, her appearance was a bit startling, as most didn't notice her immediately, "Do you have dates yet?"

"We might pretty soon," Pocket whispered to her, gesturing towards the boys. Catherine greeted them with an almost graceful nod.

"Dances aren't really our scene," Jon returned back to the original conversation, "So it's been a bit hard to find someone to ask. I guess I could consider it."

Peter, Woody and Tiger glanced at Jon in surprise. While Jon was interested in girls, he never showed interest in really going to the dance, much less with a girl.

"Sure, why not," Woody shrugged.

"Let's make a pact," Aqua suggested, speaking for the first time since meeting the guys, "We exchange information and if we can't find anyone else to go with, we'll go together."

"That's a good idea," Catherine said, willing to be part of the conversation, even if the content had almost nothing to do with her, "You're practically guaranteed a date."

The others agreed to this. Each boy got one girl's phone number and e-mail. It didn't necessarily mean that he had to call that girl. If he was interested in somebody else, he could simply call or e-mail that girl instead. The girls were given the same opportunities.

They continued on a different conversation path, each silently asking themselves who they would consider.


	7. A Date for Viper?

Notes: Oo, I updated fast this time! I had this idea in my head and it wouldn't go away. Therefore…TADA!…the next chapter of this story.

This might be my last update for a few more weeks. I'm leaving town on Monday and will be back by the end of the week. I will try to work on this while I'm in Ohio, but it's a family trip. I might not have a lot of time to work on this story. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. This was so much fun to write. I can't believe how fast I wrote this.

I hope you don't mind that I paired Viper with him. I saw the descriptions and really liked the idea of them. If you have a problem with this, let me know.

Oh, and Pie Eater's been claimed! Yeah!

Against the Wall…

Black eyes gazed around the room, narrowing almost in disgust at the people milling about. Long black hair was pushed out of her eyes by a headband of the same color. Tall, lanky and skinny were the most accurate words to describe Chloe Denairo…Viper.

She stood against one of the walls, her mouth looking almost sullen as she switched her stare from group to group. She wasn't trying to avoid anybody. It was rather like she was putting the guys into a secret contest, deciding who could possibly win her attention.

One of them was already out of the question, a boy who went by the name of Spot. Trying his best to impress a girl, he had even attempted to do so to her. However, his "in-your-face, 'look at me', aren't I God's gift to women?" expression made her despise him even more.

He thought that a nice smile and gorgeous eyes could woe any woman, but not Viper. She was a great judge of character, being able to tell in an instant if she would like somebody or not.

Only one guy had come close so far, a boy by the name of Skittery, who was talking to another girl at the moment. Perhaps he had been intimidated by her, maybe her sarcasm and cynicism was too much even for him to handle. He had seemed agreeable at first to nod at her sarcastic comments and scowl in accordance to her.

Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned anything about Spot. She had complained about him a bit, displaying her true loathing of him. Maybe she could have considered that Skittery was his friend, though it seemed quite impossible. Or maybe it was just her rage about the subject that scared him off. Either way, here she was, staring into the crowd and trying to bore a hole in the far wall.

"Men," she growled to herself. Normally, she didn't harbor any ill will towards them, but lately the effects had taken place.

"Women," another voice matched her own. She had not noticed the boy who leaned against the wall beside her until now. Viper glared at him, not liking being interrupted, even when it was just talking to herself, or being mocked for that matter.

"You think you're funny," she asked him, not hiding her displeasure, "I happen to think men are much more disgusting than women."

"Then our views are opposing," the boy shot back. By the smirk on his face, he obviously enjoyed a little verbal quarreling, "At least men have standards."

"At least a woman knows a man when she sees one."

"Diablo," he said. Her eyes narrowed further, "I'm not calling you one. That's what they call me. Diablo."

"It suits you," she told him, sounding a bit more cordial this time.

"And yours," Diablo asked.

"Viper," she hissed out, her only shot at attempting to sound pleasant. His only shot at hearing her at her best.

"Yours suits you as well," he told her, "You have a quick tongue." She glared at him for a second longer before turning her eyes towards the gym floor once again.

"Women need it in order to put men like you in their place," she stated, "We shouldn't have to take crap from anybody." At these words, Diablo's eyes softened a bit in respect. If he hated anything, it was guys who didn't know how to treat a woman with the respect they deserved.

"It's true," he said, his first agreeable word with her the entire conversation. She turned to him slowly, obliviously startled by his change of tone, "Men should treat women with respect."

"What happened to women having no standards," Viper asked him, curiosity making its way through.

"I can appreciate a bit of verbal quarreling now and then," Diablo replied, "Take it in jest, not as a serious conversation."

Viper nodded that she understood. Even if she didn't mean it, she did enjoy getting her frustration out by the activity. It usually made the friends that she had laugh in the end.

"Look at them," Diablo finally picked the conversation back up, "It's like they've never seen the opposite gender before."

It was true. Some of the girls were flirting almost embarrassingly, but the guys truly didn't seem to mind. They were doing the same right back. Some of them looked more shy, but they admired from afar instead of in their faces.

"Women," Viper said with a quiet chuckle.

"Men," Diablo replied back. His black eyes met her own and they simultaneously burst out into laughter.

Noticing this unforeseen action, Diablo studied her face. Without the smile, she looked more like a bad-tempered brat than an attractive woman. When that smile came on her face, she appeared surprisingly cute and attractive, quite the opposite of the first impression he had of her.

Viper stopped laughing abruptly after a few seconds, taking note of his stare. She didn't scowl at him however, but seemed more uncomfortable in his gaze than anything else. She almost appeared shy.

Viper was surprised at herself. She rarely got along with anybody so quickly. Yet this boy, who had almost immediately decided that she wouldn't like, had made her laugh. Humor wasn't exactly her strong suite. Even her sarcastic nature usually lacked the humor that most people found intriguing about sarcasm. She almost turned away from him, but restrained herself.

"Look," she broke the silence after a moment, "I'm guessing that neither of us are too excited about this whole dance thing, getting dressed up and everything." Diablo nodded, eyebrows arching in curiously at what she was getting out, "I don't really want to go, but since I'll be dragged there anyway, I might as well…"

"Are you trying to ask me to go with you," Diablo asked.

"No," Viper assured him, trying not to show her annoyance at being interrupted once again, "but I figure that I should at least be accompanied by somebody who I've actually got along with during this whole day."

"Same here," Diablo agreed, secretly knowing that she would be surprised with him in the next few days, especially if she talked to his roommates. His morning self was much different than his afternoon self. By noontime he had calmed down and sank into his normal sarcastic comments, talking about sports, and hours of video games and poker.

She only gave him her e-mail address, explaining that she wasn't too comfortable with phone conversation at the moment and wasn't much of a talker anyway. He gave her both his e-mail and phone number. It was her choice whether to call him or not. If she wasn't comfortable with it, he'd respect that.


	8. Meeting Adjourned

Notes: I'm sorry that it's taken so long to update this story. Things have been a bit hectic for me lately. I'm really going to try to update more frequently. I leave for college on Saturday and don't know if I'll be blocked from this site or not. I may be very limited in when I can update at all. I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. I just wanted to update before I left. I am still working on this though.

Oh and I don't mean to make Melody seem like a bad person in this, it's just the way that the other two characters view her. I really do like the character and I'll make her more fun in the future.

Lai sighed as she entered the dorm room after the meeting with the boys. Noticing the unusual quiet, she looked towards the second bed in the room. Her roommate, Melody Treble or Mel for short, was silently reading a book. Lai sighed once more, grateful for that simple fact. Mel wasn't exactly known for being silent.

Mel looked up quickly once Lai had sat at her desk just a few feet away. Her dirty-blonde hair was mid-length and was streaked with pink and black. Mel's purple eyes studied her roommate for just a moment before returning to the book in front of her.

"Did you meet any boys," Mel questioned suddenly, her curiosity easily getting the better of her, "I met this really cute boy…odd name though."

"They all have odd names," Lai commented dryly, not appreciating getting interrupted, "And yes I met a boy. We're going to the dance as friends. Besides, it's not like you're going to let me stay here all night."

It was no surprise that the two girls weren't very good friends. Between their personalities…Mel's sloppiness and Lai's organized look and each of their ideas of fun, they were about as opposite as they could get. Lai resisted the urge to pick an article of clothing off the floor, knowing that it belonged to Mel. Even with her cleanliness, Lai had a limit to what she would actually touch. Besides, she tried to be tolerant of Mel's messy habits. They had to at least try to get along.

"His name was Pie Eater," Mel went on, "When I asked him about it, he said he didn't know how he got it. He doesn't even like pie. He's more of a cake person. Maybe it's because he likes pizza…pizza pie."

"Interesting," Lai replied, her patience already being tried. Mel kept her gaze though and Lai knew that she wanted an answer, "Fine, his name was Itey."

"Was he Italian," Mel asked. Lai groaned and stood to her feet. While Mel was curious and Lai knew that, there was a limit to how much she could handle.

"You aren't going to believe this," Leprechaun suddenly entered the room, speaking straight to Mel, "Viper got a date!"

"Viper," Lai found herself saying before she could stop herself, "How?"

Leprechaun shrugged, "Some guy obviously impressed her with his quarreling skills, but she refuses to say that it's a date."

"I have to get the scoop on this," Mel stated, standing to her feet, "If Viper got a date, it's worth getting in trouble."

Lai didn't say a word as her roommate bounded out the door. Once the lock clicked into place, no matter how temporary it was, she leaned back in her chair. This was the quietest that the room ever got. Whenever Mel was around, it was almost guaranteed that something would be creating noise.

The chair nearly toppled out from underneath her however, as the door slammed open once again. However, it wasn't Mel who emerged from behind it. It was nobody but Viper.

"What are you doing here," Lai demanded, fright at the disturbance still in her voice.

"I can't stand her," Viper forced out. Lai raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Your roommate. I don't get why everyone is getting on my case…just because I'm going with a guy…as an acquaintance."

"But what are you doing here," Lai asked once more, "This isn't your room."

"Look, I figure that if she's out there, you're in here. Neither of us are exactly fans of Melody. I know you won't give me any grief about this whole thing. Plus, you're at least half-normal, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind me staying for a few minutes. People don't bother you so much."

"So I'm safe," Lai stated, "I'll let you stay here a few minutes, but you may want to lock the door. Mel doesn't give up easily." She paused for a moment in thought, "So you don't hate me?"

"Are you kidding," Viper growled, "You're one of few that I can stand. You aren't the type to get in the middle of someone's business. I get a date, it's the end of the world."

"I get one and it's the end of all existence," Lai joked half seriously, "I'll never admit it to Mel though. I already can't stand sharing a room with her. How will it be when she has something to tease me about?"

"Know what," Viper asked, meeting Lai's eyes for once, "You're all right."

Lai forced herself to remain calm as the phrase left Viper's lips. Viper rarely had a good thing to say about anybody. Was it possible that it meant that they could somehow be friends…or at least, as close to friends as anybody could get with Viper?


	9. Who Already Has a Date?

Note: It's back! I'm sorry that it took so long, but it's 'Crunch Time' in college, so the work has been piling up and I haven't had a chance to work on any of my stories. I'm hoping that I'll get more done soon.

Please forgive me for the short chapter, but I wanted to update at all, even if it was short.

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies or Peter Pan. There's a short reference…see if you can find it.

Eric Thorne removed his sunglasses as he entered the main building on the campus, unveiling his greenish-gray eyes. The dark brown strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face resumed their usual position.

Many of the guys were already in line for dinner and he lowered his eyes as he joined it. This wasn't usually his favorite part of the day. After spending hours around a countless amount of girls, to return to the all-boys school hadn't been in his best interest. The fact that the food was bad wasn't much of a reason to return. Regardless, he still had to eat.

Eric had talked to many of the girls at the meeting, but none at the moment impressed him too much. At least they didn't to the extent that he would ask them to the dance. However, he knew that he had plenty of time to get to know them. First impressions weren't always the best. Maybe they were better than they seemed.

He glanced Peter waving at him from the corner of his eye and headed over to his table after getting food. He was friends with all of Peter's roommates, yet hadn't managed to get a room with them for the semester. Diablo only nodded, while the rest gave him high-fives and verbal greetings of 'hey' and 'what's up'. Eric didn't think much of it. He and Diablo weren't the closest of the group.

"So, what did you think," Diablo asked suddenly, "I don't think any of us have seen that many girls since summer break."

"Yeah," Thorne replied, "but none of them really interested me that much. It's hard to get to know a girl in three hours, especially since all the guys were constantly being approached."

"It was a madhouse in there," Peter agreed, "I've never heard so much talking in my life. They're way too much like my sister."

"They weren't all that bad," Tiger disagreed.

"Why," Thorne asked, "Got a particular girl in mind?"

"Not yet," Tiger told him, "but we've all got plenty of phone numbers and e-mail addresses. There's still time."

Bookworm entered her room, grateful for the comfortable couch after riding back on the bus. She half-collapsed onto it, since the other half was taken up by another of her roommates. Gamble glanced at her before sitting up.

"You meet somebody," Gamble questioned. Bookworm didn't look a bit surprised at this. Gamble could just tell these things.

"Yeah, his name is Specs," she answered, "He was really smart. I was kind of surprised."

"No kidding," Gamble replied, "Most guys there acted like they'd never even seen a girl. Someone with intelligence was probably a welcome sight."

"So, you met someone too," Bookworm asked. Gamble just fixed her with a mock glare, "Please, you don't talk about something unless you have ways to fit yourself into the conversation."

"His name is Skittery," Gamble told her, "He was a bit moody, but at least he wasn't drooling when I talked to him."

"You mean like half the guys in there," another voice cut in, accompanied by the sound of the door closing once more. Their other two roommates, Britts and Rebel walked into the room. Britts had been the one to speak.

"There were some nice guys there," Bookworm corrected her, "Besides, at least it means we have a social life. Before, it was considered social if you could get as far as the bus stop."

"True," Rebel agreed, "I met a really sweet guy named Mush. So there." She stuck her tongue out in Britts direction.

"We should leave," Gamble suddenly said and Bookworm quickly agreed, knowing how Britts and Rebel could get. Give them any opportunity and a perverted joke wasn't far off. They'd come back later…much later.

Walking in the hallway, intending to hang out in the lobby for a few minutes, Sunshine almost ran straight into one of her roommates, who was headed in the opposite direction, skipping.

"Spaz," Sunshine yelled in excitement, "What did you think?"

"I do believe, I do," Spaz replied, "Boys still exist Sun!"

"I know," Sunshine told her, "I actually got a date too. Well, maybe. I gave someone my phone number. What about you?"

Spaz nodded enthusiastically, "Yup! His name's Snitch. I told him that his name sounded funny and he actually agreed! He said that mine sounded weird too."

"Sounds like a catch," Sunshine grinned, "If he can talk to you for more than five seconds, he's a keeper." Spaz could only smile at that, knowing how her personality could throw some people off. Plus, Sunshine was right. Snitch was the only guy whom actually acted like he enjoyed talking to her.

The girls separated after that. Sunshine to go to the lobby and Spaz to do who knows what.

"Wasn't Spot just the cutest," May questioned, breaking the silence in the dorm room.

"Will you stop going on about him," Zodiac asked, "I guess he was okay, but I don't know. Something about his aura was just off."

"I don't care about his aura," May shot back, "I mean, he's really cute, tough, smart, and…oh, everything about him is wonderful."

"This is too much," Zodiac muttered to herself, knowing how innocent May could be, which meant that she sometimes got crushes on guys easily, "Either way, I don't think he asked anybody to go yet. There's still hope." She cringed as she said it, knowing that Spot probably wouldn't be asking May to go with him. She had seen the way Spot had reacted to her earlier.

Zodiac smiled though, thinking about Dutchy. After Spot and May had left, she had soon gotten straight to the point and asked if he would be her date. He told her that he had been about to ask her himself. So it was official, she had a date to the dance. Many girls did, but even more didn't. It was only a matter of time.


End file.
